This Is Italy
With a little good will we can go to Italy this summer. With your own car or with a rental car. This is not the first choice for everyone on a holiday, so here are some tips from experts with experience with a car holiday to Italy.
Traveling to Italy by car is really just our favorite way of travelling. You just get in at your house and you're on your way, it's relatively fast, you can take a relatively large amount – depending on the size of your car – and you really get the feeling of traveling.
Traveling by car is easy, fast and along the way you have countless options to refuel, make a small detour or spend the night. But if you don't have much experience driving to Italy, there are a few things to take into account.
The preparations
Many preparations you need to make have to do with traveling by car. It is obvious, but we will briefly mention the most important preparations here:
Insurance/ANWB
If you want more security when traveling, you can take out travel insurance. You are also covered for medical costs for Dutch nationals with your regular basic insurance, but only up to the level of the costs in the Netherlands. In addition, you can think of travel insurance if you take a lot of valuables with you to Italy.
An insurance policy can also assist in the event of a breakdown with the car, although you can also call in the Roadside Assistance of the ANWB for this. You will then need Roadside Assistance with Europe coverage. Check this in advance, especially if you are traveling with an older car.
Make sure your car is technically in order
It is wise to take your car to the garage before you make a long trip. Some brands offer a cheap or free summer check. The condition of the tires (at least 2 mm profile on your tire) is important summer tires), the levels of fluids (top up if necessary) and the functioning of the air conditioning (It can get very hot in Italy in summer).
Get a vignette
You need a motorway vignette for both the Switzerland route and the Austria route. You can purchase this prior to your trip and stick it on the inside of your windshield, so you don't have to worry about this anymore. You can also buy the vignettes at gas stations a short distance from the border, but it is just as easy to arrange in advance at, for example, the ANWB.
Buying an e-vignette is now also possible. This has made purchasing a Swiss vignette a lot easier. You can apply for the digital vignette from home or even on the road in the car. You register your license plate and you will receive the vignette by email.
Determine the route
Which route are you going to drive to Italy? There are roughly 2 options: the route via Switzerland and the route via Austria. Some have a strong preference for one of the two routes, others depend on the destination in Italy.
- For destinations in the vicinity of Milan and Tuscany, the route via Switzerland is the most logical.
- For Lake Garda, Venice and the Adriatic coast you can easily drive via Austria.
There really isn't a better route. You can get stuck in traffic on both routes, but the biggest bottleneck is probably the Gotthard tunnel on the Switzerland route.
It also has to do with your overnight stay which route you choose.
Are you going to drive in one go or spend the night en route?
If you leave early (or even drive at night), you can drive your destination as far as Tuscany, Umbria and De Marche in one day. But you should not be against sitting in the car for a long time and making kilometers. This option is easiest if you are with 2 drivers and can alternate.
We have done the route ourselves often enough in one go, but it depends on whether it is busy and warm and whether you are traveling with (easy) children whether this is a pleasant option.
Many families with children choose to take it easy and spend the night en route. Fortunately, there are more than enough places to stay overnight on both routes. This can be done directly along the highway, so that you are on the road again the next morning, or in a nicer place where you can enjoy the stopover.
If you don't want to have the hassle of looking for a hotel at the end of a tiring travel day, it is wise to book in advance. If you are looking for a hotel on spec, it may be full and you have to look a little further (after all, you are not the only one traveling to Italy), but even then you will always find a place.
The advantage of going on the spec is that you can stop or continue driving whenever you want.
Tip: de best places to stay on the way to Italy we have listed for you in this article.
Pack & go
The big day has arrived (or the day before) and you have to pack the car! Always an exciting moment: does everything fit in there? It depends on the size of your party, the size of your car and the type of trip you are going to make whether everything will fit in it.
When you travel with (small) children you need more stuff than when you go with just the two of you. You need more stuff at the campsite than in your Italian holiday home. If you don't have much experience packing your car for vacation, it's smart to practice this beforehand.
First, pack the suitcases/large bags and then fill the space with things you need on the way. We always have a small bag with toiletries and underwear for the hotel on the way to Italy, which we can easily remove from the trunk.
If you have to take a lot of stuff with you, it is of course an option that you use a roof box (or a trailer, although you are limited in speed).
Make sure that you often take too much stuff with you. Therefore, prepare a packing list in advance. In any case, it must contain the following mandatory items:
- Warning triangle, safety vests and first aid kit
Handy to pack are:
- Adapter Plugs
- Sunglasses
- A credit card or change for the toll gates
- Medicines and painkillers (paracetamol is expensive in Italy!)
- Entertainment for the road when you drive with children
Tip: a complete overview of what you need to bring to Italy and what is useful to take with you can be found in this article.
Toll roads
If you drive into Italy, you will immediately have to deal with the Italian toll roads. Unless you choose to drive exclusively via back roads, but then you will be on the way to your destination for a very long time.
On some routes you pay the toll before you drive on the track. In other cases, you first take a ticket from the machine and you pay when you leave the toll road again.
It is helpful to have a credit card handy. Then you can always take the free lane at the toll gate with CARTE above the road. Just enter the card (or take the ticket) and you're through again in no time. You can also pay with cash. For this it is useful if you have coins to hand.
Tip: more information about the toll roads in Italy and the rates can be found in this article.
Traffic in Italy
The traffic rules in Italy are largely the same as those in the Netherlands and Belgium. The traffic behavior is somewhat different. Italians drive much more on 'feel' than on the rules. You experience this especially when busy routes, traffic interchanges and in cities. If you want to insert or turn onto a road, you have to 'claim' your position. A wait and see attitude does not work. That is a bit of sweat for some, as we know from experience.
In general, however, you won't have many problems traveling through Italy to your holiday destination. However, what many Dutch and Flemish people still sometimes miss is in urban traffic. You should pay attention to the so-called ZTLs, the Zone Traffico Limitato. If you drive into these low-traffic zones, you can be fined.
The speed limit on Italian highways is 130 km/h. Note that when driving in the mountains, you have to downshift to avoid overheating the engine. Especially in combination with heat, the Italian landscape is hard work for cars that normally drive on flat terrain.
In case of calamities
You may have to deal with calamities along the way or at your destination. It is useful if you have some telephone numbers noted down in case of calamities. For example, that of your bank to block your account and that of your insurance company or the helpline of the ANWB. In acute emergencies you can call 112. There are people who also speak English.
In Italy, if you need medicines, you can go to pharmacies that you will find in every village at the green cross (pharmacy). Be aware that many drugs – even simple ones like paracetamol – are extremely expensive in Italy. It is useful to bring some simple medicines with you.
And finally
Do not forget to enjoy your car holiday in Italy, because that is what an Italian holiday is all about: the sweet life You will come a long way with a flexible attitude and a program that does not overload you.
Do you have any tips for a successful car holiday in Italy? Then leave your comment below.
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